The Parsons: Luca Ryan-- 1 Month Old

It's so crazy how fast babies change.

The left is a picture of Luca when he was 2 days old and we were still in the hospital.

The right is a picture of him at one week old.

I feel like his little face fattened up so quickly, and obviously the jaundice went down.

He was only a little bit jaundice, but man some of the picture he sure looks yellow.

Side note-- if you must know. That there picture on the left.. above it there is a very blurred out part of a mommy's body that seems to be out a lot more often once she has a baby. Well.. it's cut off in the above photo, but it was once there. Anyways.. We have a group text with all of Ryans family. This includes his parents, two sisters, his brother, and all of their spouses. You know where this is going.. right? My sweet husband thought this picture was too cute of our adorable new baby and decided to send it out to the group.. Alysha informed him that a little nip had made an appearance. It was maybe one of the funniest and most embarrassing things ever! I was dying laughing and was more mad about that then the fact that the whole family had just seen more of me than I ever cared to share because my dang C-section incision hurt so bad any time I laughed. Also.. I about posted the wrong photo here that hadn't been cropped.. so you all about got a show of your own. Luckily I caught it. You're welcome!

Now.. back to the important stuff! All the cute things about my cute babe.

Height/Weight

We took him to get circumcised at 1 week old. This was about enough to push me over the edge. I did not want to see him in pain. So.. I made Jill go with me and go in with him during the circ. She's a labor and delivery nurse.. so she's seen enough and can handle it is what I told myself. So she went in. I was in the waiting room and I heard him cry really loud one time.. I of course started crying because I felt so bad for him and then I felt bad I wasn't with him. Then he screamed again. Then the doctor came out a few minutes later and told me I could go back. Turns out he did great during the whole thing. The first cry was because they had to change his diaper and the second one was because the nurse had to wipe him down after it was all over and he really does not like being cold one single bit. I was grateful it all went well and that he wasn't too traumatized by it all. At this appointment he got weighed and he was 7 lbs. 4 oz. The doctor told me that they want them to be back to their birth weight by one week.. well he weighed 6 lbs 15 oz at birth.. so we had well passed that up! And I could have guessed as much.. considering this kid never ever stops eating!

At his one month check up he weighed 7 lbs 11 oz. (21st percentile)

Head circumfrence-- 14.6 inches. (47 %)

20.5 inches-- (79%) so he hadn't put on any inches that way! Just started getting a little more chunky!

And really.. not even very chunky. He is tall and skinny that's for sure!

Nicknames

We don't really have any nicknames for this little man yet.

This was one of our concerns with his name is that there aren't many ways to shorten it.

We didn't want him to be called Luke.. because well we would have named him Luke if we wanted that.

Most people that we tell his name too still give us a weird look.. pause.. and say.. "Oh, well that's different."

hahah I really don't feel like it's too different or crazy, but apparently it is!

Ry usually just calls him baby boy. And I typically just call him baby Luca.

One nick name that has come about.. that isn't really used, but I love it so very much is Wee B.

Robyn was my best friend growing up and her grandpa loved to give everyone nicknames.

His nickname for me is Mirna B. So when I had baby luca, he nicknamed him Wee B.

I just think it's the cutest thing ever!

Aunt tashy and uncle b call him baby toucan. I don't really remember the reasoning behind this. But I think it's Cus they think he looks like a bird.. Or that Ryan does. Or something. But either way, it's cute.

Diapers

I really tried to push those newborn diapers just as far as they would go!

They are so sweet and tiny. However, at about 5 weeks we had to switch over to size 1.

He kept having so many accidents during the day where he would some how pee out of the back of his diaper or out the top. I got sick of changing clothes every day, so we finally made the switch. And I don't think we've had a problem since! Hooray!

I really wanted to give cloth diapers a try... I am such a freak about wasting things. And obviously diapers are very very wasteful.. and so dang expensive. Both things that make me crazy! Spending money on something that just goes in the trash makes me out of my mind (which is why I don't love receiving cards or flowers.. they just go in the garbage. I say just save the money!)

Eating

I was truly so creeped out by breastfeeding.. just being honest. I really wanted to do it because I felt like it was what was best for my baby so I always said I would give it a shot.

Well.. I love it. I was so grateful and happy that it was something I connected with.

It was one of the best bonding experiences. And I think I loved being able to help him in a way that no one else could. I was his mom, and only I could provide this for him.

It was one of the most frustrating things at first however. He actually latched on like perfectly from the very first time. But I absolutely could not believe how much of my day was consumed by feeding him. It was like it took 30 minutes on each side.. so an hour total. Then he would eat every 2 hours.. and you start counting from when they first start eating. So after I got done feeding I would only have an hour until I would have to start again. Everyone kept telling me that it wouldn't always be this way, but it was so hard to believe at the time. I'm very happy to report that he only usually eats on one side now, and it only takes 10 minutes!! So those long days of feeding ALLLLL day long do end. And I am grateful for that.

I also had a difficult time at first with producing enough milk. His sugars and fluids were low on day one so they had to supplement him right then. So he knew very early on what a full stomach felt like. He got far more than just the little bit of colostrum. And I had a hard time keeping up with producing enough milk so we had to keep supplementing him for awhile. I had such a difficult time with this for some reason. I still don't know why exactly. I think I just felt guilty. I felt like I should be able to produce what he needed and I wasn't doing that, so it was hard for me.

These aren't the greatest pictures. But you can see the little tube and syringe that we used to feed him. It was meant to be used as an SNS feeding. But we ended up using our pinky finger a lot because I was so so sore.. another problem I ran into with breastfeeding.

Really.. I had quite a few problems with it. I was so beyond grateful that I had a wonderful resource to help me through. Since my mother in law works in L&D she had one of the lactation specialists come talk to me while I was in the hospital. She was so sweet and gave me her personal number to text or call if I ever needed any help. There was one time shortly after getting home from the hospital that I was struggling with latching on and she came over to my house to help me out. I also texted her on a number of occasions to ask questions and she was so great to always be willing to help me out.

I know that not everyone has this advantage. But everyone has the opportunity to have a lactation specialist help them if they are struggling... I highly recommend using this resource. It was so beneficial to me!!

Sleeping

The first few weeks... oh man.. those first few weeks. They are really awful. From feeling like all you do is feed a baby. To feeling like you are never going to feel fully rested again. It is pure torture. It's a good thing you have a completely adorable little tiny human to make it all worth it.

I was again lucky to have my husband be home for some of the time because of his recent surgery, as well as having my in laws live right down the street. This allowed for me to take some naps during the day as I needed. However, Luca really has been such an amazing sleeper since day one. It just took me some adjusting to get used to waking up in the middle of the night.

But really.. he generally only wakes up about 2-3 times in the night.

And he only wakes up to feed. As soon as he is good and full, he falls right back to sleep.

At this point, he generally likes to be in bed by about 9:30.

It is so funny if we are not home when it is approaching bed time. He gets so upset.

He really likes his bed time, just like his mama!

When I put him to bed I always rub him down in the lavender lotion before I put on his jammies.

Then I feed him and then swaddle him in the best swaddle blanket inventions ever.

I think these things help him know it's bed time and add to a routine because as soon as he gets swaddled he is out! It's so funny how quickly he will fall asleep at bed time.

So generally he goes to bed at that time, and he sleeps until about 230 or 330. it used to be 130.. and then he'd wake up again at 430. but now he's going a little longer.

After his first long stretch until 230 or 330 now.. then he will wake up every 2 hours after that again. so usually 430 and 630-ish. After 630 I typically bring him into bed with us and lay him on his belly.

Being on his belly is his favorite. It's usually the only way to get him to take a nap during the day.

That, or going for a car ride. He is a good kid and loves his carseat and running errands.

He just takes a nice long nap when we are out and about!

He also does the cutest little laugh when he is sleeping. I have tried to video it a number of times because it makes my heart melt into a million pieces! I can't even believe how adorable it is.

I know it's going to stop here really soon. It already doesn't even happen daily and it used to happen like 5 times a day at least. It makes me so sad that I haven't been able to capture it yet.

I really want to remember it forever! :(

He also sleeps with his arms above his head a lot of the time, just like I do. And it's my favorite!

Social

Luca started smiling so early. Like really from day one.

Everyone always said it's what they do when they had gas. And I think this is partially true.

It indeed did happen when he was gassy.

But now that he is more alert and I see how much he smiles when he is awake, I think he was smiling a lot of the time just hearing our voices.

He seriously is such an alert baby... and constantly smiling and cooing.

He started cooing around 6 weeks and has been doing it more and more often as time goes on.

He loves loves loves to look at fans and lights.

He also loves this picture in grandma Jill's house. It captures his attention every time.

And now.. one billion smiling pictures to prove my point! :)

Likes

He loves bath time. He didn't really enjoy his very first bath..

But ever since then it has been his favorite thing.

It totally relaxes him. He loves to just sit in there and splash about.

He also loves stroller rides.

He sometimes stays awake for a little while to look around at the world

But usually it puts him right to sleep.

Our first trip to the park!

He loves music. Mostly any music, but especially classical and piano music.

I love that too. It's what I have always listened to while studying. It's so calming.

He really likes his moby wrap. And so do I!

I can just put him in this bad boy and I'm able to get some things done around the house while he sleeps!

Clothes

I only had very few newborn clothes. Those things are so tiny.

I was certain there was no way he would fit in them for longer than a week.

So.. I had like 2 pairs of jammies and like zero outfits.

Luckily I had made a few leggings that he ended up having to wear all the time because I wasn't about to spend money on more clothes that would now only last a little while longer..

Well.. I ended up having to buy a few more things.. and of course they didn't last long.

There needs to be an in between size though.. because those 0-3 month clothes drown him.

Mama

I am doing really well actually. I finally am getting the hang of all of this.

12 hour clinical days and 4 am mornings were rough there for a month.. but that's for another post.

I am just grateful I have such a great baby that has allowed me to finish school.

I went to my 6 week appointment the other day and I am down to 138 lbs.

{I know-- girls don't share their weight. But like I said in my first post.. I want to remember everything}

I weight 125 before I got pregnant, so 13 lbs to go. I got up to 162 lbs when I was pregnant.

The day I left the hospital I wanted to be weighed, because my baby had come out of me and surely I had lost a lot of fluids and such.. so I was certain I was down a lot already.

Nope-- just down to 158. meaning I hadn't even lost as much as my baby weighed.. how does that happen?

I had so many people tell me I was going to be one of those people that leaves the hospital in their pre-pregnancy clothes.. so I was really banking on that.

It surely didn't happen. But that's okay. It still is coming off slowly but surely!

Daddy

Ryan is such an amazing dad! I knew he would be..

But he even has gone above and beyond of what I thought he would be.

He would get up with me at the hospital and for about the first week of nights.

I think he wanted me to know that I didn't have to be the only one losing sleep and that I wasn't in this alone

It was so sweet. I loved that he did that.

He quickly realized that he couldn't provide much because all Luca wanted was to be fed.

So he was able to keep sleeping when he would wake up.

He kept Luca while I had clinical on the weekends.

And kept him in the mornings for at least one feeding until Jill would come get him to go on a walk since ryan had to go to school.

He started his nursing program at the U.

He really likes it, but it's been a lot more work than either of us anticipated.

They start them right out on pharmacology. I think that's just plain rude.. ha

I am glad I was eased into my program a little bit more and not thrown into the hardest class right off the bat.

Needless to say-- he is a little exhausted since he is busy commuting to and from the U every day and then has lots of homework each night, while still trying to fit in family time.

He's such a great daddy and husband and we are so grateful for all he does for our family!!

I'm certain I missed a lot of important things in here that I want to remember, but hopefully I put in a good majority of them! I also am writing this the day after Luca turned 7 weeks. So it's a bit passed the 1 month mark.. but It's the best I could do!